


Once a Dream Did Weave a Shade

by dearling



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, Hopeful Ending, Implied Relationships, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 01:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19140748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearling/pseuds/dearling
Summary: Nero meets V in his dreams





	Once a Dream Did Weave a Shade

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot to Purple Roses for proofreading!♡

These dreams would always come unexpectedly. No matter how good or bad Nero's life got over time, he could hardly guess when one of those special dreams was coming again.

Unpredictable, but more than welcome nonetheless.

Nero's figured out a long time ago how to recognize such dreams in the very beginning. It would usually go like this: subtle sunlight would gradually replace usual comfortable darkness around him, at last becoming bright to the point where he couldn't keep his eyes closed any longer.

This time, he’s laying flat on his back, breathing in cold air. Trying to guess where he ended up waking up this time.

All these dreams had one thing in common. Here, it's always summer, he's surrounded by trees, herbs or blossoming flowers whispering in the wind. There also was that one time when he was greeted by a golden wheat field, ready to harvest.

He carefully pulls himself up, slowly enough not to wake up on accident. There's a gentle breeze blowing, whitish feather grass rippling all around.

The sky above seems steel-gray, not a single patch of blue, the air feels discharged, dry and cold, light fuzz dancing in the wind.

Nero gets up and takes a look around. A short white fence catches his eye, dense bushes right behind it.

During these dreams it rarely was clear what he was about to find, but even so, he normally had a general idea of where he’s supposed to go. He's watching the trees in the distance, the fence is short enough to step over it. It's difficult to say what is waiting for him there, but Nero's pretty sure it’s time to get going.

He can’t pinpoint the exact time he started having these dreams. Back when he was little this place usually looked like a well maintained fruit orchard, similar to those they had in Fortuna. There was a gazebo hidden among orange trees, where Nero would always find a woman wrapped in a huge red blanket scarf. She was really surprised to see him, at first, but even then she seemed happy to meet him there. The woman would sit him down next to herself, peeling and giving to him sweet ripe oranges, petting his head.

Back in Fortuna, he never got to try oranges growing in the orchards.

As Nero starts getting through the bushes, it becomes unclear where he's supposed to be heading to. Still, he moves forward, ducking his head and pushing low-hanging branches out of the way. Eventually, he notices sunlight blinking though the leaves in a short distance, but it's still takes him a while to get there.

At last, he sees an old brick house ahead, a perfectly clipped lawn with immaculately manicured flower beds and straw armchairs on it. There's someone sitting in one of the armchairs and…

Oh.

He's got his back turned to Nero, reading a book, naturally, but Nero recognizes him right away. The black leather vest looks green now, with fine golden embroidery covering the fabric; not a trace of the tattoos left on the skin, his hair startlingly white.

V straightens up and turns to face him, looking him in the eyes.

"Nero?" he says reluctantly, as if he didn't really expect to see him there.

Nero knows. They never expected him to show up like that. The kind woman wearing a huge red shawl, his mother, young Credo in his white clothes…

He makes a step forward, watching the lost expression on V's beautiful face, then kneels down in front of the straw armchair and lowers his head on V's lap.

The other freezes and tenses up, seemingly not knowing what to do with his hands. At last, he decides to put his book in the grass, reaching for the top of Nero's head. Nero holds him close and tight, hugging his thin legs. V shudders, holding his breath.

"Does it mean you really are dead?" Nero asks, pressing his cheek to V's knees. The fingers in his hair stop for a second, but then relax completely.

"No," V says calmly. "Where did that come from?"

Nero’s eyes are burning all of the sudden and he blinks, swallowing hard. Crying is the last thing he needs right now, one single teardrop's gonna cost him waking up instantly. He blinks and looks at V instead.

"You vanished without a trace. I barely had time to figure out what had happened, Dante said-"

"He got the right idea," V interrupts him. Nero opens his mouth in disbelief.

"Then how in the hell are you here?"

The other just smiles with his mouth closed.

"Where is 'here'? How does this place look for you?"

"A brick house, a lawn in the front..." describing obvious feels incredibly bizarre to him. "Can't you see?"

"Well, that's your dream, after all," a familiar crooked grin appears on his face, "I'd hope you know where we are at the moment."

The wind becomes stronger in a matter of seconds, feeling cold and harsh even despite all the trees surrounding the house. Nero tries to calm himself down, feeling V's hands on his skin, careful and warm.

"You're not coming back, are you?" he asks, hopeless.

The question clearly leaves V amused, for whatever reason. He leans in toward Nero and kisses the corner of his lips, just like he used to, casually pushing him onto trimmed grass, which swiftly begins growing taller and taller around them. V gets out of the chair and lays himself next to Nero, leaning on his elbow.

"You and all these questions of yours," he scolds half heartedly with a gentle look in his eyes. "I never left."

"Don't start that bullshit again," Nero begs. "You know exactly what I mean. You're gone for good now, right?"

V tilts his head and brushes Nero's temple ever so slightly.

"Nonsense. And don't you dare to come back down here again," V whispers in his ear, all while Nero is struggling to make out what he's saying, "It's way too early for us to meet in this place."

Nero still manages to tell him something else, and V simply nods and grins in response, stroking his hair affectionately. Nero closes his eyes, fully concentrated on V's breathing. His own body's starting to feel uncomfortably heavy, the wind's howl is slowly rising, the fresh green grass shedding and falling down to the ground, the air thick and almost unbearably hot.

***  
"Nero?" someone calls quietly. He hesitates before opening his eyes.

It's still dark outside, scattered car-lights are tracing bedroom ceiling in silence.

"Shh, it's alright," Kyrie moves a little closer and gets under his warm winter blanket. "Another nightmare?"

Nero exhales audibly.

"Yeah. Did I freak you out again?"

"No, you were just mumbling, that's all," she pats him on the chest softly. "It's over now though, right? Just a bad dream, nothing more."

Nero feels a bitter taste on his tongue as he holds Kyrie closer.

"Just a bad dream," he echoes after her, "nothing more."

Subtle pain lingers in his right arm.


End file.
